Apparatus for manufacturing building panels

Abstract: - Quick-adjustment slewing device for inserting and cutting cross wires (32B) in automatic equipment for the prefabrication of building panels (2), including a bridge (16) that can be tilted to planes transversal to the line of conveyance of the panels (5) supporting a bank of electronically-controlled electric motor drives (43) each capable of operating corresponding means (33) for pulling at least one metal wire (32A) in order to push it and insert it at substantially any angle through the layer of plastic material (3) positioned between sheets of wire netting (4) constituting the panel (2) after passing through coaxial cutting devices (34) capable of trimming at least one wire (32B) after insertion.

Description: The present invention relates to a device in automated equipment for the prefabrication of sandwich building panels as set forth in the preamble of claim 1. Sandwich-type building panels are now available made of expanded plastic and wire netting: prefabricated structures consisting substantially of a layer of expanded plastic material, usually polystryrene, between two sheets of wire netting mutually connected through electric welding by a number of cross wires passing through this layer, to be utilized after being coated with plaster, and placed side by side to define hollow spaces for pouring a concrete mix in order to create walls, floors and the like in building construction. Equipment already exists, described in EP-A 308 837 and US-A 4 917 284, for the automatic production of these building panels, and in particular for automatically inserting the cross wires into the layer of expanded plastic and welding them at both ends to the netting on the two faces of the layer. This equipment, while functional, is relatively difficult to regulate when the format of the panel varies as to its thickness. Moreover, this equipment is poorly adapted to the insertion of pairs of cross wires on each pass. Finally, the equipment does not permit the insertion of the cross wires at an angle. A device as described in the preamble of claim 1 is known from EP-A 389 469. According to this known device, prior to introduce the cross wires, inclined bores are drilled into the panel. Subsequently a wire is fed by means of a pair of rollers supported in a device the angular position of which may be adjusted. At the bottom of the feed device a cutting device is fastened. This prior art does not give any hint as to a simple adjusting device for quickly regulating the entire sets of wire feeding means, cutting means and welding means in order to adapt it to the thickness of the panels and/or to the inclination of the cross wires. The main object of this invention is, therefore, the design of devices that can be quickly adjusted, each capable of pulling and inserting, through the layer of expanded plastic comprising the panel, one or two metal wires at practically any angle in automatic building panel prefabrication equipment. Another purpose of this invention is to achieve the preceding objective by means of devices that permit the unit to be adjusted as quickly, simply and immediately as possible when the format of the panels to be stapled varies. A further object of this invention is to achieve the preceding objectives by simple and effective means that are safe to use and relatively economical considering the practical results obtained. These objects are achieved by the characterising clause of claim 1, i.e. by a tilting bridge that comprises three carriages to which the said three operating means are fixed. Illustration of the drawings figure 1 is a side cross-section view of automatic equipment for the prefabrication of sandwich building panels made of wire netting and expanded plastic, including the device according to this invention; figure 2 is a partial front view of the equipment itself; figure 3 is a partial front view of the equipment, complementing the view in figure 2, but with some of the components illustrated in figure 2 removed to facilitate viewing the components located behind them; figure 4 is a view of the rear face of a detail of the device according to this invention, with certain parts shown in cross-section and others removed for purposes of illustration; figure 5 ist a top view of the same detail as in figure 4; figure 6 is a partial vertical cross-section of another detail of the device according to this invention; figure 7 is a transverse section of the same detail as in figure 6; figure 8 is a side cross-section view of a sandwich panel of wire mesh and expanded plastic with pairs of cross wires inserted in same according to an operating alternative of the device according to this invention; figure 9 is a side cross-section view of a sandwich panel of wire mesh and expanded plastic with pairs of cross wires inserted according to another operating alternative of the device according to this invention. Description of the exemplified embodiment With particular reference to Figure 1, this is an illustration, as stated, of automatic equipment for the prefabrication of building panels made of expanded plastic sandwiched between wire netting, including a conveyor platform 1 for panels indicated globally as 2, formed of a layer of expanded plastic 3 between electrically welded rectangular wire nets 4 consisting respectively of transversal warp wires 5 criss-crossed by longitudinal weft wires 6 (also see figures 8 and 9). The panels 2 are caused to move in a jogging motion on the conveyor platform 1 by means of an advancing device located under the conveyor and indicated globally as 7 and consisting of hooks 8 pushed up and away by means of pneumatic pistons 9 and also linked by a bar 10 that transmits to them the horizontal alternating movement provided by a pneumatic device 11. Above the conveyor platform 1 there is a frame, indicated globally as 12, carrying in a jogging motion two symmetrical lateral plates 13 equipped respectively with arched slots 14 in which a tilting bridge, indicated globally as 16, is engaged at the top by means of air brakes 15, hinged at the bottom at 17 to two sides of the conveyor platform and driven there by a geared motor 18. The tilting bridge 16 has three span carriages reciprocally graduated and identified as the larger carriage 19, the medium carriage 20 and the smaller carriage 21 (see also Figures 2 and 3). The larger carriage 19 slides on cylindrical guides 22 which have coaxial pins, not illustrated, screwed into them and driven through tapered couples 23 by a shaft 24, motorized if necessary. The medium carriage 20 is supported by the larger carriage 19 and slides with respect to the latter on cylindrical guides 25 solidly attached to the larger carriage 19 through a component with alternating movement 26 and driven by a pneumatic device 27. The smaller carriage 21 is in turn supported by the medium carriage 20 and slides with respect to the latter on cylindrical guides 28 that are solidly attached to the medium carriage 20 by means of screw pins 29 driven by motorized units 30. The larger carriage 19, in addition to supporting the medium carriage 20, also supports side by side, on a plane crosswise to the conveyor platform 1 of the panels 2, a number of guiding and straightening devices, indicated globally as 31, into each of which runs a pair of wires 32A, coming off a coil at the top, not illustrated, and coupled axially with reference to the direction of advance of the panels 2. Below each guiding and straightening device 31, the larger carriage 19 also supports devices, globally indicated as 33, for pulling and inserting the wires 32A, as more fully illustrated in detail below. The medium carriage 20, in addition to supporting the smaller carriage 21, also supports a number of cutting devices, indicated globally as 34, as illustrated in detail below, located respectively below the pulling and inserting units 33 in continuation of the descending trajectory of the wire pairs 32A, which trajectory intersects the conveyor platform 1 of the panels 2 substantially at the point of the hinge axis 17 of the tilting bridge 16 for the functions more fully illustrated below. The smaller carriage 21 supports a number of upper welding devices indicated globally as 35, positioned coaxially one step behind the cutting devices 34, respectively, with reference to the direction of advance of the panels 2. Beneath the panel conveyor platform 1 are a number of lower welding devices indicated globally as 36, positioned respectively so as to be substantially coaxial to the cutting devices 34 and supported vertically and moving in alternation by a lower carriage, indicated globally as 37, driven by an alternating motion component 38 driven by a pneumatic device 39. Moving on to the above-cited detail, the devices 33 for pulling and inserting the wires 32A are carried by the larger carriage 19 by means of a support bearing 40 (see Figures 4 and 5), to which is affixed a plate 41 attached to a fixed block 42 containing reduction gearing (not illustrated) capable of transmitting rotary motion by means of "stepped" electric motor 43 powered by direct current to a coaxially twinned pair of wheels 44A and 44B grooved and possibly knurled around their circumference, tangent to which are positioned the wires 32A which, if necessary, run in guides 45 solidly attached to the fixed block 42 itself; this block has a vertically shaped appendix 46 with symmetrical slopes, at the apex of which is a pin 47 to which are consecutively hinged two pivoting forks, indicated globally as 48 and 49, separated by a spacer bush 50; the bottom 51 of the first fork 48 where the tines 52 are connected is turned downward, and these tines support respectively, below the hinge 47, an electronic revolution counter or "encoder" 53 and an idle wheel 54A connected by a pin 55; this idle wheel 54A has a groove, possibly knurled, around its circumference, and the wheel itself is positioned so as to press a wire 32A against the drive wheel 44A; the bottom 56 of the second fork 49 where the tines 57 are connected is turned outward; through these tines runs a pin 58 which is coaxial to the pin 55 of the first fork 48, supporting a second idle wheel 54B which has a groove, possibly knurled, around its circumference, and is positioned so as to press the other wire 32A against the drive wheel 44B; above the hinge 47, one of the tines 52 and 57 of the forks 48 and 49 is matched by a spring 59, contained inside a hole 60 made through the fixed block 42, adjustably compressed by means of the corresponding screws 61 so as to keep the respective upper portions of the forks 48 and 49 under constant outward pressure which, under the fulcrum comprised of the hinge 47, produces a rise in pressure caused by the idle wheels 54A and 54B on the wires 32A against the counterforce exerted by the drive wheels 44A and 44B for the functions more fully illustrated below. Coming finally to the detail of the cutting devices 34 (see figures 6 and 7), they are carried respectively by the medium carriage 20 through clamps 62 and contain, respectively, a pair of jaws 63 and 64 hinged on a pin 65 mounted horizontally between two walls 66; the first jaw 63 has, in its articulation zone, a part 67 shaped like a fork so as to permit it to be inserted into a part with reeds 68 in the second jaw 64; the jaws 63 and 64 have cutting parts at the bottom, 69, capable of working together while at the top they extend into arms 70 equipped with cross pins 71 that respectively engage in slots 72 converging obliquely downward, made in a slide 73 that runs vertically on guides 74 supported by walls 75 which, with the walls 66, help to form the box-shaped casing of the cutting devices 34. Above the box-shaped casing thus formed is a pneumatic cylinder 76 whose piston 77 is equipped with two shafts 78 connected to the slide 73 and axially perforated to permit the passage of the wires 32A, for which purpose also the slide 73 and the pin 65 have suitably positioned holes such that the wires 32A reach between the cutting parts 69 of the jaws 63 and 64, which are made to close by means of angular rotation, thus cutting the wires 32A as a result of the reciprocal elongation of the pins 71 that engage the slots 72, made by lowering the slide 73 controlled by the pneumatic device 76 for the functions that will be illustrated below. Functioning of the exemplified embodiment The panels 2 are made to run in a jogging motion on the conveyor platform 1 by the advancing device 7 in such a way that each overlapping pair of transversal warp wires 5 of the netting 4 is positioned under the set of cutting devices 34 for the time necessary to carry out the following operations: a stretch of parallel wires 32A is unrolled from each of the pulling and inserting devices 33 and inserted through the layer of expanded plastic 3 on both sides of the transversal warp wires 5 of the netting 4; the wires 32A are unrolled by drive wheels 44A and 44B of the pulling devices 33, against the action furnished respectively by idle wheels 54A and 54B, pressed there if necessary by the pivoting forks 48 and 49, with the load on the springs 59 appropriately regulated by the screws 61; the length of the segment of wires 32A unrolled on a contingency basis is determined by an appropriate setting of the electronic encoder 53 which "reads" the turns of the first idle wheel 54A which, it should be noted, because it is induced, does not experience the slippage that could result in false readings on the instrument, and stops the electric motor 43 when the desired length is attained. At this point, the medium carriage 20 is lowered by the action of the alternating-movement part 26 driven by the pneumatic device 27 and therefore the bank of cutting devices 34 which, with the mechanisms seen above and against a relative dynamic profile, cut the pairs of wires 32A substantially at the point of the upper wire mesh 4, thus isolating pairs of cross wires 32B which remain to pass through the layer of expanded plastic 3 on both sides of the transversal warp wires 5 (also see figure 8). Simultaneously with the above-mentioned lowering of the bank of cutting devices 34, the carriage 37 raises the bank of lower welding devices 36 which, with suitably shaped and dimensioned jaws, simultaneously weld the pairs of cross wires 32B to the lower wire netting 4; also at the same time, the bank of upper welding devices 35 is lowered by the medium carriage 20 together with the bank of cutting devices 34 one step behind the latter, where it welds the pairs of cross wires 32B cut as indicated to the upper wire mesh 4. in the event of a variation in the format of the panels 2 to be stitched together, for example using a thicker format, the entire bridge 16 can be raised in order to provide enough of an opening on the conveyor platform 1 by raising the larger carriage 19; in that eventuality, the greater length of the cross wires 32B needed to span the greater distance between the sheets of wire netting 4 can be obtained immediately and without any need for complicated adjustments by changing the calibration of the electronic revolution counters or "encoders" 53, programming them to permit a larger number of rotations of the wheels 54A of the pulling and insertion devices 33 without any change in any of the other mechanisms noted above. Another opportunity furnished by the device is that it can insert the pairs of cross wires 32B at an angle: by means of the motor mechanism 18, the entire bridge 16 can be caused to rotate on the hinges 17 until it is tilted at the angle tentatively desired, and then fixed there by means of the air brakes 15 at any point on the slots 14 which, incidentally, are high enough to tolerate the full range of the larger carriage 19; the substantial coincidence of the hinge axis 17 of the bridge 16 with the plane of insertion of most of the pairs of cross wires 32B permits the insertion itself to take place on an inclined trajectory without modifications of any kind from what was indicated above in connection with vertical insertion, and the same thing can be said as regards the action of the lower welding units 36. on the other hand, the positioning of the upper welding units 35, which are one jogging step behind the panels 2 with respect to the hinge axis 17 of the bridge 16, means that the tilting of the bridge causes the welding devices to shift and, in particular, to move further away from the upper sheet of netting 4, except that this distancing can be offset by adjusting the smaller carriage 21 to allow only the bank consisting of these devices to slide. The greater shifting of the pairs of cross wires 32B outside the wire netting 4 as a result of the corresponding tilted insertion (see figure 9) can be eliminated, if necessary or desirable, by a pair of cutters (or shears) schematically illustrated in figure 9, which can be positioned behind the battery of upper welders 35 with reference to the direction of advance of the panels 2 on the conveyor platform 1. LEGEND OF NUMBERS 1) Panel conveyor platform as a whole 2) Panels as a whole 3) Layer of expanded plastic 4) Wire netting as a whole 5) Warp cross wires of the wire netting 4 6) Longitudinal weft wires of the wire netting 4 7) Panel advance device as a whole 8) Hooks 9) Pneumatic hook lifting and withdrawing pistons 8 10) Coupling bars for hooks 8 11) Pneumatic device for imparting alternating horizontal movement to the hooks 8 12) Support frames for tilting bridge as a whole 13) Side plates of the frame 12 14) Arched slots 15) Air brakes as a whole 16) Tilting bridge as a whole 17) Hinges 18) Geared motor for tilting bridge 19) Larger carriage 20) Medium carriage 21) Smaller carriage 22) Cylindrical guides for larger carriage 23) Tapered couples for motorization of the larger carriage 24) Motorization shaft, larger carriage 25) Cylindrical guides for medium carriage 26) Alternating motion drive unit as a whole 27) Pneumatic drive device 28) Cylindrical guides for smaller carriage 29) Pins for drive screws 30) Motor mechanisms 31) Devices for guiding and straightening the wires 32 as a whole 32A) Pair of wires 32B) Pairs of cross wires 33) Pulling and inserting devices as a whole 34) Cutting devices as a whole 35) Upper welding devices as a whole 36) Lower welding devices as a whole 37) Support carriage for lower welding devices as a whole 38) Alternating movement part for driving the lower carriage 37 as a whole 39) Pneumatic drive apparatus 40) Supports for the pulling and insertion devices 33 41) Support plate for pulling and insertion devices 33 42) Fixed block of pulling and insertion devices 33 43) Electric motor 44A) First drive wheel 44B) Second drive wheel 45) Guide for wires 32A 46) Sloped lengthening piece of fixed block 42 47) Hinge pin 48) First pivoting fork (supporting the encoder) as a whole 49) Second pivoting fork as a whole 50) Spacing bush between forks 48 and 49 51) Bottom of first fork 48 52) Tines of first fork 48 53) Electronic revolution counter or "encoder" 54A) Idle wheel of the first fork 48 54B) Idle wheel of the second fork 49 55) "Encoder" connecting pin 56) Bottom of second fork 49 57) Tines, second fork 49 58) Pin, second fork 49 59) Springs countering forks 48 and 49 60) Holes 61) Screws 62) Support clamps for cutting de 63) First jaw of cutting devices 34 64) Second jaw of cutting devices 65) Hinge jaw for jaws 63 and 64 66) Pin support walls 65 67) Fork portions, first jaw 63 68) Reed section, second jaw 69) Cutting parts of the jaws 63 and 64 70) Upper arms of the jaws 63 and 64 71) Corresponding cross pins 72) Corresponding slots 73) Slide 74) Guide 75) Support walls for guide 74 76) Pneumatic drive unit in cutting devices 34 77) Piston 78) Piston stems

Claims: Device for introducing and cutting cross wires in automated equipment for the prefabrication of sandwich building panels (2) formed of an upper sheet of wire netting (4), a lower sheet of wire netting (4) and a sheet (3) of expanded material sandwiched between the upper and lower sheets of wire netting, said device comprising a substantially horizontal platform (1), means (7) for advancing a panel (2) on said platform (1) in a forward jogging motion, means for introducing wires (32) crosswise through the building panels (2) so as to form cross wires (32B) in the panels (2), means (34) for cutting said cross wires above the building panels so as to separate the cross wires from a feed supply of wire, and means for welding the cross wires to the upper and lower sheets of wire netting, characterised in that above said platform (1) a tilting bridge (16) is provided which is hinged to an axis (17) lying in said platform (1) transversely to the forward jogging motion, said tilting bridge (16) being comprised of three reciprocally graduated and reciprocally mobile span carriages (19, 20, 21), supporting the means (33) for pulling and introducing the cross wires (32 B), the means (34) for cutting the cross wires and the means (35) for welding the wires respectively. Device according to claim 1, wherein the tilting bridge (16) is motorized at its fulcrum (axis 17) and held at the top by attachments (15) for tighten the top at any point of an arched slot (14). Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tilting bridge (16) is located downstream of said means (33) for introducing the wires and of said means (34) for cutting the wires, the lowest carriage (21) supporting upper devices for welding (35) downstream of the cutting devices (34) with reference to the forward jogging motion, whereas lower devices for welding (36) are positioned below said platform (1) and coaxially to the cutting devices (34). Device according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein said wire introducing means (33) comprise an adjustable electric motor (43) driving wheels (44A, 44B) for pulling and inserting at least one line of cross wires (32A, 32B) at each forward jogging motion of the panels (2). Device according to claim 4, wherein said motor (43) drives a pair of coaxially twinned wheels (44A, 44B) matched by a pair of idle wheels (54A, 54B), at least one of which includes an electric revolution counter (53) connected with said motor (43). Device according to claim 5, wherein the electric motors (43) are of the "stepped" direct-current type and are connected to the drive wheels (44A, 44B) by means of a reduction mechanism enclosed in a fixed block (42) to which are hinged means (48, 49) for supporting the idle wheels (54A, 54B) and the electronic revolution counter (53). Device according claim 6, wherein the means (48, 49) for supporting the idle wheels (54A, 54B) and the electronic revolution counter (53) consist of a pair of forks (48, 49) hinged to a projection (46) on said fixed block (42) and supporting, on one side of the fulcrum, the idle wheels (54A, 54B) and the electronic revolution counter (53) and, on the other side of the fulcrum pressed against it by springs (59) housed in the fixed block (42) and compressed by screws (61) passing through the fixed block (42). Device according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the means (34) for cutting the cross wires (32B) consist of pairs of jaws (63, 64) equipped at the bottom with cutting edges (69) extending upward and forming arms (70) equipped with cross pins (71) which engage in slots (72) converging obliquely from top to bottom cut into a slide (73) that moves vertically in a box-shaped casing (66, 75) under the action of a pneumatic device (76) mounted with its vertical axis above the casing (66, 75) through a pair of stems (78) through which two wires (32A, 32B) pass axially. Device according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the means (33) for pulling and introducing the cross wires (32A, 32B) are supported by the largest (19) of said three carriages, whereas the cutting devices (34) are supported by the medium-sized carriage (20).

Inventors: CANDIRACCI ANGELO, CANDIRACCI, ANGELO
Applicants: CANDIRACCI ANGELO, CANDIRACCI, ANGELO
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B21F1
IPC codes: B21F23, B21F27